Ambidexterity is the ability to use both hands equally well. Most people are either right-handed or left-handed, meaning they naturally prefer one hand for writing, throwing, or using tools. An ambidextrous person can switch between hands with equal skill.

True ambidexterity is rare. When someone writes their name smoothly with their left hand, then picks up the pencil and writes just as neatly with their right hand, that's ambidexterity. Basketball players sometimes develop ambidexterity through practice, learning to dribble and shoot with either hand so defenders can't predict their moves. Musicians playing instruments like the piano need both hands to work skillfully, though not necessarily in the same way.

Some people are born ambidextrous, while others develop the skill through deliberate practice. Athletes, surgeons, and artists sometimes train their non-dominant hand to expand their capabilities. This kind of practice requires patience: your brain has to form new pathways to control movements that don't come naturally.

A related word, ambidextrous, works as an adjective: “She's an ambidextrous pitcher who can throw with either arm.”